Captain Nurul Huq, first chief of Bangladesh Navy, dies at 86

Captain Nurul Huq, the first chief of Bangladesh Navy, has died in hospital care at the age of 86, after a long spell of hypertension and diabetes.

Huq breathed his last at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka on Monday night, the Inter Services Public Relations Directorate said in a statement.

Huq held important posts in different ships and naval bases in his long career, including a senior engineer officer at the then Pakistan Navy warship and an engineer officer in a destroyer ship.

Following his return from Pakistan, Huq served as the first navy chief in Bangladesh from Apr 7, 1972 to Nov 6, 1973.

Later in his life, he worked as the minister of shipping.

Friends and members of the Navy expressed condolences over his death. A funeral prayer for Huq will be held at the Naval Headquarters mosque after the Zuhr prayer on Tuesday. He will be laid to rest at the military graveyard in Banani.

Huq completed a basic engineering course from the Royal Naval Engineering College in Britain in 1958 and a marine engineering specialisation course in 1961.

Huq was born on Jan 12, 1936 in Dhaka.